Life After Life
by Opacus
Summary: SPOILERS With a simple pen the God of the New World was struck down, but has the world truly seen the last of him? Kira can go to neither Heaven nor Hell, but what about Light? Were they truly one in the same?
1. I Win

Alright so this little sprout of an idea flew into my head and I decided to fly with it. This is my first long Death Note fanfiction so forgive me if the characters seem a little ooc, I'm trying to stick to their character as best as possible. Also, feel free to give both good and bad reviews, without the critiques how would I know where I needed to improve? His death is based on the anime death, not the manga death, so forgive if I take some artistic license with his thought process. Also, I plan on including a semi-relevant quote from Peter Anspach's Evil Overlord List for fun and giggles at the top of every chapter, so here goes.

Number 46: _If an advisor says to me "My liege, he is but one man. What can one man possibly do?", I will reply "This." and kill the advisor. _

Oh, and I don't own Death Note, or the Evil Overlord List, or a lot of other stuff in this world.

* * *

_Da-dum._

He knew the second he felt the hard thumping in his chest as the stairs pushed into his back as he rested on them, bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds and only adding to his pain.

_DA-dum._

There was no way he could stop it, Kira, the God of the new world.. was going to die. His gaze drifted up to the window, stubbornly refusing to give into the thoughts racing through his mind as the rays of light shined through and illuminated him in a last, twisted irony. A soft sound, the slightest of sighs, escaped from his lips as his expression calmed and already he could feel the pain drifting away.

_The human who uses this note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell. _

The thought just flew into his mind, he would become nothing.. drift into nothing.. nowhere wanted him, _and thus end the reign of the God of the New World, _he thought. His heart throbbed one last time, and he saw of all figures, a hunched and loosely dressed one with a slight smile on his face that almost-but-not-quite reached those large black eyes. The last words heard by the living ears of the most wanted mass murderer of the century was, "I win," perfectly in line with the last beats of a drum.

He felt light, almost airy, which confused him as he sat up on the stairway and shook his head. _Did I fall asleep here? _Light asked himself before dismissing the idea, brushing off some dust from his jacket out of habit, _no.. but.. I could have sworn_, he finally opened his eyes and barely restrained his immediate reaction as he saw his bloody and broken corpse splayed out over the stairway, appearing to the outside world as just a minor twitch of his eyes. The figure from before leaned over and gave him a tap on the shoulder, his dark eyes shining with a light of mysterious amusement, even if his face didn't express it.

"I win, Light-kun," he said, and the other on the stairway gave a noncommittal grunt in response, watching as Near and the detectives approached the fallen body that lay on the staircase soaked in blood. Matsuda immediately dropped his gun and brought a hand over his mouth, taking a step back at the sight despite being the one to cause the wounds, and Light watched silently, mentally piecing it all together.

He looked back up at L who was leaning against a wall watching the action, _so that's it? No shining light, sudden realizations, or anything? _He shook his head lightly at his internal sarcasm before voicing, "so they can't see us, or presumably hear us."

L nodded his head and walked over to look down at Near, the silver-haired youth rifling through the body's jacket as he searched for something, before snapping his gaze back up to Light, who was busy glaring at the small one as if the look alone could cause him to have a heart attack, the same red glint in his eyes that the detective learned to be wary of. He spoke with guarded tones, sounding emotionless unless one knew how to read him, "Light-kun, its over. You've lost," but he simply fixed his glare from Near to L.

"I'm aware of that _Ryuzaki_," he said with fully intended sarcasm before grinning with wicked intent, "or should I call you Lawliet?" He stood up from the staircase and stepped around the detectives as they looked over his body, the red glint already beginning to die down a bit as the other nodded his head and stepped forwards.

With hands in pockets, L paused right before reaching Light, looking up at the face that had returned to a normal expression, "yes, thats my name." Light examined L, looking him over before asking, "have you been.. following me?"

There was that shine again in L's eyes, that amused look that didn't quite reach the rest of his face before the man let the hint of a smile show through. "Yes Light-kun, I wanted to be there when it was over. I wanted to see you when I won." The recently deceased one seemed to be lost in thought as the living continued to work, two men stepping forwards to place the corpse into a body bag.

Light muttered to himself, "shame, I liked that suit," as he watched the action before looking around the area in silence. Already the forms of the living that were wandering around looked paler and slightly transparent. Dare the thought cross his mind he whispered, "almost ghost-like.." only to realize it had been said aloud when the other there let a grin flick its way onto his face and said, "welcome to the afterlife Yagami-kun."

* * *

Yeah yeah I know its pathetically short, bare with me its the opening chapter. More to come my pretties I promise. I already have twelve chapters outlined, even if I don't have them written.


	2. Sunrise, Sunset

Wow, apparently this story actually has some folks reading it. Well in honor of said folks I'll have to continue writing it then won't I? This promises to be a highly amusing story, at least to write but I hope you have fun reading it too. Here goes. Oh, I listened to the song "Everything Burns" by Ben Moody and Anastacia while writing this, also "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics. Also, yes, this chapter is named after "Sunrise, Sunset" from the movie "Fiddler on the Roof".

I was arguing with myself. Long chapters and infrequent updates or short chapters and updates every few days to a week. The latter won out so enjoy semi-frequent updates every few days to a week or so. And sorry its taking longer than I thought I would to write this I'm such a perfectionist sometimes!

Number 26: _No matter how attractive certain members of the rebellion are, there is probably someone just as attractive who is not desperate to kill me. Therefore, I will think twice before ordering a prisoner sent to my bedchamber. _

--

_Step, step, step, turn, step, step, step, turn. _Over the course of the previous few days a scowl had found a comfortable place on Light's face. Pacing in rhythm, he couldn't help but admit that after the first day or so of getting used to being dead, being a ghost was boring. Breaking his rhythm, causing L to flicker his gaze up and pay attention once more, he stepped towards the door at the end of the staircase they were in and looked outside. It was sunset, as it had been on the day of his death, and the rays of light were illuminating the ground with a soft orange glow. Hands slid inside of his pockets as he looked out over the scenery, "L? Why are you still here?"

The detective shrugged lightly and kept his eyes on the other as a translucent figure carrying some form of package walked by oblivious to the conversing two. "Perhaps, Light-kun, I enjoy your presence," he said monotonously and with little inflection. No other words added to the statement, silence again resumed with the rays of light that shone through the windows behind them desperately trying to illuminate the shadows of the small, cramped room; it seemed a loosing battle though as the sun continued to lower further in the sky.

From down the street a humming could be heard, approaching closer, and Light's scowl only intensified as the noise reminded him of a peculiar blond who worshiped him. A wisp of a girl came into view as she passed by the door with a smile on her face and a book clutched close. She had long, dark brown hair that fell in light waves over her shoulders, framing a diamond-shaped face with almond-shaped eyes. L tilted his head curiously and walked over to stand on the opposite side of the doorway to Light, looking at the girl who seemed strangely more visible than the others.

-

Mitsuko was on her way home from her part-time job she went to after school, taking a short cut that she didn't often use she began to hum in an attempt to cheer up the seemingly barren and dreary buildings surrounding her. Pausing, she turned her head to look over at the open doorway with the stairwell inside before deciding to walk up closer towards it.

Curiosity, she knew, would one day be her downfall and she placed a hand on the building as she leaned forwards, "hello? Anyone here?" The girl called out to an empty room before sighing and shaking her head, walking back towards the direction she'd been heading, "funny I could have sworn I'd felt something." With the muttering, and a slight shrug of her shoulders, she continued to walk onwards.

-

With the faintest hint of a barely-concealed shudder, Light's eye twitched slightly as the girl stepped out of him, much to the amusement of the pallid one next to him, "yes that does take some getting used to when they walk through you like that." There was the scowl again, and L wondered if perhaps something had happened during Light's death that had frozen his face that way. "Maybe if Yagami-kun stopped glaring at everything as if he had heat vision he'd find himself less bored and others more likely to converse?"

Light hadn't been aware that he was capable of growling quite so menacingly until he did just then while stalking closer to the detective, "maybe if you hadn't set up those successors I wouldn't be in this mess in the _first_ place." He threw a hard right towards the other, opposing arm being thrown up to block as the other ducked down and swept a leg under his feet to throw him off balance and cause him to stumble before the other leg came up to kick him backwards.

Pushing himself to his feet, L looked on at Light as he regained his balance with unreadable expression and fiery eye, "I said that I would be the one to defeat you Yagami-kun, I am _justice!_" Hand slammed against a nearby wall as he affirmed his statement.

Dusting off his jacket out of habit, Light clenched his fist as he replied with words that dripped of venom, "_wrong_ L, _I_ am justice! I am _God!_ _I_ am the one who punishes the wicked and the evil, and it will be _me _ who is responsible for establishing a utopia on this world!"

L flexed the fingers of his hand as he watched the other through narrowed eyes, "_you _were _wrong_ Light-kun! Evil! I was your friend and you _murdered _me in cold blood..." His voice trailed off, losing the anger that had been present in it as quickly as it had shown up, but judging by the solidity of those grayish-black eyes it was certainly still present.

A sparkle passed through the eyes of the neater of the pair, _so _that _is why he's been so quiet_, he thought to himself as he studied the other man, however his contemplations were interrupted when he saw _why_ the other had stopped so suddenly. A small figure with white hair accompanied by two larger ones had walked up carrying two very clearly defined black notebooks and a box of matches. Rushing forwards Light screamed out, "no you _don't_," and swung violently at the small figure only to have his hand go right through him with a muttered profanity and the slight widening of L's eyes at the word.

Shaking his head lightly, L said, "I wasn't aware Light-kun sported such words in his vocabulary, or have his manners been claimed along side his sanity?" A growl was the only reply as Light channeled his anger at L to his attempts to do something, _anything_, while the younger boy tossed the Death Notes down onto the stairwell.

Something was said, he was certain of that much at least, and finally Light settled for leaning against the wall and glaring at Near and his two companions while one of the taller men stepped forwards and doused the notes with what he assumed was gasoline. The detective moved from simply sucking on his lower lip to nibbling on it, _chance of Light-kun doing something regretful sixty-_ he pulled a flake of dried skin from his lip with his teeth as he watched the other's eyes glint a dangerous red- _more like seventy percent._

Silence enveloped the room as Near walked towards the drenched notebooks, lighting a match and tossing it onto them before stepping back quickly as the gasoline ignited and flames licked at the pages before them, red-orange and yellow wisps slowly erasing the written words and bound pages that had caused so much danger and paranoia in the world. L looked up at Light, who was watching in what could be described as spellbound silence as the thing that had meant more to him than likely his own family was erased from the world.

The red flickered over the eyes of the otherwise visibly emotionless one, face a mask to the world as the flames licked higher and the three living ones watched in the same stony silence. Time ticked by and the tongues of orange and yellow died down slowly, leaving only ash and faded memories in their wake. Distracted by a sudden grunt of pain from Light, L looked up to see the other had a hand to his head as if experiencing a sudden headache. Noting the glance however, Light lowered his hand and the mask resumed. "Are you alright Light-kun?" L chimed towards the other with more curiosity than concern as the three figures walked off.

Light's eyes narrowed to the other as he spoke in a voice laced with venom, "I'm fine, L." The three figures were now out of sight range and L stepped closer towards Light.

With a slight tilt of his head L asked, "_are_ you fine, Light-kun? Or should I call you Kira-kun now?" He didn't mean the hiss to get into the words as he spoke them, but it was there nonetheless.

Light's narrowed eyes watched those of the other, "I already said I was _fine_ L, they were just tools used to kill, that was _all_." The mask stayed etched onto his face, the only visible sign of anger being the narrowed eyes and the shine of anger within them as he watched the detective's face. L's hands slid from his pockets, recognizing the tone as one used often preceding a fight between the two. His mouth opened, if only for a moment, before the words died on his lips and he shook his head, for a feminine figure approached with a small vase that held a purple hyacinth and a pink and white rose.

Sayu knelt down and placed the vase to the side of one of the steps of the staircase, oblivious to the two that were now watching her and the almost-fight she'd broken up just by arriving. With a voice barely above a whisper, she spoke to the silence, "nii-chan? They held your funeral today.. I was surprised how many people showed up. I know you were Kira and all, but you're still my nii-chan even if all those people only see you as Kira.." and then the voice grew silent and Sayu began to cry softly, leaving two slightly stunned and silent ghosts to watch over as the young girl wept over the place of her brother's death.


	3. Road to Dead

Welcome, welcome to chapter three of my lovely story here. Now some pretty important stuff happens here in chapter three so I'll try not to rush through it like I, admittedly, did in chapter two. Not for the faint of heart or those with weak constitutions. Also, I -am- in the market for a beta reader for Life After Life. Sorry for the long wait too, I finally got me a job and we moved new apartment where I don't yet have internet.

Songs: Paula Cole - Throwing Stones (surprising how well her songs fit the mood of some of these), Paula Cola - Road to Dead (she does so many things that just fit this story), and Ka-Ching - Shania Twain. Bits and pieces also include Engel – Rammstien.

_Number 85: I will not use any plan in which the final step is horribly complicated, e.g. "Align the 12 Stones of Power on the sacred altar then activate the medallion at the moment of total eclipse." Instead it will be more along the lines of "Push the button."_

--

He had been quiet, almost unusually so for the one formerly full of.. well life. Since Sayu left with a small pack slung over her shoulder he hadn't done a thing but return to his pacing quietly back and forth with that red glint in his eyes. L perked up his head as he heard a growl come from the other male and watched with suppressed curiosity as Light reached up to touch the skin just to the side of one of his eyes.

Tilting his head lightly, L asked in a quiet voice, "Light-kun?" Soft, simple, with thousands of questions all wrapped into the simple one. Light simply turned a death glare towards L and withheld his urge to growl at the detective for his insatiable curiosity, before he simply removed his hand and sat down on one of the steps of the stairs of the stairwell. This was not turning out the way he had planned.

-

No one was quite sure who'd broken the news that Kira was dead and how, but one day the world was gossiping about why the deaths had stopped so suddenly, and the next it was all over the news that a young, promising Japanese man had been Kira, and also that he'd been killed. Within hours there were riots sprouting up in major cities across the world. Kira supporters everywhere claiming Kira was divine, causing a split between those who believed that the media claim was false and those who said that death only released their god from his human confines.

The small staircase in Japan quickly became holy ground to those who believed the latter. Again, no fingers were pointed to the leak of information, but there was something about a very shaken detective mentioned in some of the stories. A group of twenty students from a campus in southern Japan was the one to start the shrine.

A young woman with hair dyed a bright blonde and a gentle smile on her face stepped out from the group, kneeling down and placing a small stick on incense on the stairwell before bringing her hands together and bowing politely. Following the lead of this young woman, the others of her group did the same.

Over the course of the months following, it had become a craze among Kira supporters. Candles of all types and sizes adorned the stairwell, along with a bowl of silver that had been placed in the center of one of the steps where it was commonly believed Kira's heart had been when he died. If one were to look into the bowl, they would see blood, fresh and dried of varying ages. You see, they'd come up with a ritual of cutting themselves across the palm and letting drops of their blood fall into the bowl so that they might be closer to bringing about their God's full ascension into the divine.

None of them knew that their God and his greatest enemy were both watching as they flocked to the shrine that was quickly becoming _the_ place for Kira worship in the world. As for L, the detective felt sick as he watched the people flock like sheep to worship the greatest mass murderer of the century, without so much as a thought as to why they were cutting themselves. _Without even washing that knife might I add._

Opposite him, though, was Light with a pleased smile on his face. He walked towards the stairway and brushed his fingers over the head of a worshiper who was currently watching as drops of his blood fell down from his hand into the bowl. Light stroked his head as someone might a loyal dog, causing the kneeling male to shiver and look around, seeking the source of the sudden drop in temperature.

A cold chuckle echoed around the room as a glimmer shown inside the eyes of the brown-haired genius, his fingers slipping very slightly through the now faintly panicking follower, and he knelt down to whisper in his ear. L's eyes narrowed, he'd seen that look while following the boy.. no man now but he still knew what it meant. Something was going to happen, and L didn't think he was likely to like it.

Standing, Light walked back to lean against the wall with an extraordinarily pleased smile on his face, eyes following the worshiper as the knife fell from limp hands into the silver blood-filled bowl. A girl shouted out, asking if the boy was alright likely, and her and a few others paused in the doorway, watching wide-eyed as the blood in the bowl began to swirl of its own accord, the follower leaning down with lifeless eyes, and a sudden sucking sound the only warning before the boy's blood began to drain from his pores, his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, if it had an opening to the inside of the body it seemed blood was coming out of it.

The boy almost seemed to be melting forwards, his own blood merging with the blood from the bowl as it rose in a sickening pillar. The rest of the boy was soon to follow as his skin dripped down in droplets, revealing the rotting tissue beneath, and eventually the bone that was.. crystallizing? Yes it seemed the bone itself was shaping itself into a scythe-like form, only when one of the girls had noticed the boy had fallen onto the bowl by now and shrieked did L take note of the fact that the dagger seemed to have merged with the boy's skull and elongated with the help of the blood to form the blade itself. Interesting as it all was, the detective felt his stomach turn slightly, to all the world looking passive and unfeeling, ever the spectator.

He held back a grimace as he watched Light grab the now formed orange crystalline scythe, drenched in blood, with veins of pulsing red making their way through the weapon someone (_one of his own followers!_) had just been slaughtered for. Light, _no Kira, this is definitely the Kira personality,_ he threw his head back and laughed, caressing the blade with two of his fingers intimately. The onlooking group had apparently seen something, because one girl gasped, her friend screamed and ran off, while the third fell down on her knees and whispered something about a holy miracle and a sign.

L shook his head ever so gently, this was not turning out well...


End file.
